2010 AD100: Mario Buatta

Mario Buatta’s interiors evolve; they don’t, as he puts it, “simply appear overnight via a department store showroom.” For decades a fixture in the world of residential design, Buatta is known for chintz, color, classicism and comfort. “Everything is so personal in this business,” he says. “I learn the way my clients live, and they are completely involved in what I'm putting together. I don’t like surprises or surprising people; the process is collaborative.” Buatta views furnishing an interior as an important investment. “I urge my clients to buy the best of what is available, or at least something decorative that passes for old and looks attractive. We’ll mix and match, mostly 18th- and 19th-century pieces, depending on what they already have, the look they want and what we find at market. The point is that they’re going to be living with these things for a long time, and the commitment to quality must be made.”

Buatta, who notably designed the museum shop at Winterthur, the old du Pont estate in Wilmington, Delaware, redecorated Blair House, the White House guest quarters, in 1988. His efforts there are ongoing: freshening rooms as they incur wear. The Manhattanite is also at work on several great, comfortable country houses, a residence and horse farm in South Carolina, a house in Alabama, one in Texas and two in Florida. “I'm developing something of a southern drawl,” he quips.

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